Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Malaysia tour diary III

Read Part I here
Read Part II here

KUANTAN RIVER CRUISE

It’s a good get-away from the roads in Kuantan, which is the capital city of Pahang state. It is on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, about 170 miles east of Kuala Lumpur and 215 miles north of Singapore. The cruise takes you along the lush 500-year-old mangrove forest, a swampy area of 339 hectares. There is a long walkway into the lush enclave of greenery. It’s a great feeling to there.

At the entrance to the Kuantan Esplanade


A view of the city during the river cruise


The mangrove forest

During the cruise one can see lot of boats and a fishing village. From a 40-meter tall tower one can get a good overview of the forest. There is a tourist guide who will assist the visitor during the cruise.

TELUK CEMPADAK

Perhaps the most popular beach in Kuantan, 5 km from the town. Pristine and expansive, there are many good restaurants and plenty of places to just sit or walk around and enjoy the steady breeze from the South China Sea. One can see people flying attractively designed kites. The beach is said to be a good one for surfing, sailing and jet-skiing. Nearby is a forest reserve, through which one can reach Pelindung beach.
The beach at Teluk Cempadak on the South China Sea
SALTED FISH

This is one of the specialties of Kuantan. We saw one, which was locally called Moiheong, or something to that effect. Apparently it is available only in Kuantan. One can get fried fish crackers called keropok. They are like our potato chips, both salty and non-salty and available in ready-to-eat format in packets of various sizes.

Various varieties of ready-to-eat fish-based products like crackers
The Berjaya Megamall in the heart of Kuantan.

Heading out of Kuantan on east coast back to Kuala Lumpur on west coast.


On the highway there are a number of rest houses where one can take a break.


The roads are unbeatable and the natural beauty breathtaking.


DOWNTOWN KL

Imposing highrises, flyovers, vehicles and people: one could get claustrophobic in KL. But that’s the way all big cities are. The Petronas Towers is the world’s largest twin towers at 453 metres. Interestingly, its architecture is a mixture of Malay, Chinese, and Indian styles: quite representative of the society.
The Petronas Towers, the most famous landmark in KL.


It's difficult to get a good pix of the twin towers in one frame on an ordinary camera.

The Kuala Lumpur City (Convention) Centre which once was a golf course. The twin towers is on one part of the KLCC.
While the twin towers are very visible, some 10-minute walk from there is a must-see underwater aquatic park could easily be missed. It is below the Suria mall at the KL Convention Centre. The park, that has anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 animals, has simulations of misty mountains, rivers, rainforests and mangroves.

But what stops you in your tracks is the 90-metre long underwater tunnel. The breathtaking encounter with some amazing water animals is otherwise possible only for underwater divers. One can see baby sharks and stingrays glide over the head. Because of lighting and lot of glass, you will need a good camera to avoid reflections and glare. There is a turtle conservation programme and one can adopt a turtle.

Jalan Petaling or the Petaling Street, commonly called the Chinese market. Everything is available but bargain well.

Just a little away is a Hindu temple, one of the oldest in KL.
(To be continued tomorrow)

1 comment:

  1. Hi Pradeep,

    It is really nice to hear that you enjoy your trip. Upon reading your blog, I do noticed that you say, KLCC was built on previously a golf course. It is actually Horse Race Track.

    ReplyDelete

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